330°

Xbox One: Microsoft doesn’t care if you can’t share or resell games

The Xbox One has had a problematic reveal, not least of all because Microsoft can't decide what to tell consumers about DRM and second-hand games. In the end though, they have the tech to ensure every user is paying to play and they will be using it.

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weeklyrift.com
GalacticEmpire4003d ago

So the basic gist of this article is that, if you're poor and can't afford all your games new, Microsoft hates you.

PirateThom4003d ago

To be entirely fair, I don't think any publisher likes you if you can't afford all your games new, since they aren't making money off you.

It's just that Microsoft seem to be making it very consumer unfriendly, especially after people complained that online passes were awful.

GalacticEmpire4003d ago

Of course, we're just numbers to them. I still expect to be treated with a modicum of respect since, after all, I am a paying customer.

The problem is that buying new or buying used are not mutally exclusive options and Micrsoft are punishing not just people who ONLY buy used but also paying customers who SOMETIMES buy used.

4003d ago
Mario204003d ago

What is this college school? How can they even say that. Im telling you last time he was in my office he disagreed that chocolates are made our of pineapples. that is when his hair took control of his toppings wink wink

and also where do you get your information private thom

pkb794003d ago

Publishers must hate me. I never pay price for new games. I will wait 6 months, a year, or whenever till the price drops to $20-$30 or grab it on sale.

Its not that I can't afford new games I just think they are way overpriced. I will pay full price for a nice long RPG but as I don't play online $60 for a 10 hour single player campaign is a rip off.

I may have to break this rule for Last of Us but then I have a huge backlog of games to get through so probably not.

4003d ago
Godmars2904003d ago

Then they shouldn't be making games with higher and higher production costs.

@GalacticEmpire:
Not to mention the whole internet things. Whether because you can't afford it or just have a bad provider.

Retroman4003d ago (Edited 4003d ago )

x1 is the hot topic of the century to hate on but in reality. i'm worry about future events with hackers trying to break in ps4 an x1 causing psn and xboxlive to possibly crash again. hope Sony and MS has a solution announcement by E3.

rainslacker4002d ago (Edited 4002d ago )

Thing is, there are still a lot of people who buy BOTH used and new. It's not a one or the other type of proposition. Gamers especially, like the ones speaking out now, often recount times where they have brought used just because it was the only option, and other times where it gets them into the series, and many other benefits of the used game market. But many of them still buy a lot of new games as well. These same people are the ones who are upset, just because it goes against their principals, and it seems like these companies are trying to control us(which I find to be a different topic).

I think a great majority of the people just like having the choice. I know sometimes I pick up a used game that might be $10, and any new sale of that game would be irrelevant to the publisher by then. Does that discount the many many new game purchases I buy each year?

There will always be people who just buy used. But cutting out used just takes them out of the market completely, or pushes them towards a competitor, where that person builds up brand loyalty to that competitor. In the future, when they decide to buy more new(which happens for many young people as they get older), it just means that now the original console that drove them away has to try and win them back.

To this end, I find the whole blocking of the used game market a short term fix(possibly to something that isn't a problem), with long term ramifications to any company that decides to support this agenda. On top of this, MS apparent solution of handling trades/sales looks to be more a way to monetize the used game market, which to me is doubly insulting.

3-4-54002d ago

Yea but I just got a 3DS+PSP after not owning one ever, or owning a DS.

I've now discovered about 10 series of games I'm not a fan of, because I was able to purchase 10+ games for $5-20.

Those dev's now have a new fan willing to pay full price for their new games.

Sometimes it's a long term decision and those are usually the best and more intelligent ones for the company to make.

+ Show (6) more repliesLast reply 4002d ago
fermcr4003d ago

And what about those gamers that buy new games, play them and resell them to help purchase more new games... like me. The result is that gamers like me are going to buy far less new games.

BlmThug4003d ago

In the same boat as you. I buy games new and those that aren't great, I sell quick in order to recoup most of my money which is used to buy more new games

T24003d ago

Your dead on the used market drives the new one ... Theres a bunch of games ive bought new that were sequels to games I tried used to guage my interest first

T24002d ago (Edited 4002d ago )

Oops dbl post oh well - Its quite simple you make a quality product you reap the rewards ... You dont see top auto companies wage war on the used market . Its bad business ..
I hate to pick on madden good games but no way in hell they can justify a new game every year when its obvious an update would suffice

rainslacker4002d ago (Edited 4002d ago )

You're not the only one. GameStop reported that over 70% of trade ins are used to finance the purchase of a new game.

Wonder how many people will be trading in their old games to finance the purchase of a next gen system. There will be some good deals on the massive influx of used games by the end of this year. Many of them being games that the publisher's no longer care about getting money off of. Now imagine what happens when the next next gen starts, and there is less money to purchase all those new systems because you can't trade in older games or you get less for them. Short-sightedness is the word of the day.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 4002d ago
bigrob9044003d ago

you know let me say this, i understand why developers would want to have people buy their games new. i understand that they would want to limit you just letting your friends borrow games because that could have been a potential customer and that is money they could have had. i know that games need to sell so that more games can be made, i know everything that needs to be known about it. But here is the thing, once you buy a product it is yours to do with it as you please. i i buy i car i don't have to pay a fee every time i let somebody else use it. i can let as many people borrow a movie as much as i like. i could go on on on, so knowing that why should they get to treat games any different? my thing is if you make great games people will buy them because they know that if they want more great games from that developer than they need to buy knew. most people can only buy a few new games a year, they get to experience more games because they can get used games at a reduced price. when you go out of your way to destroy that market, you are destroying gamers opportunities to play more games. all thats gonna due is make people not want your console or hack your system.

colonel1794003d ago

My most important concern is not the used games. Is the borrowing part.

I have 75 PS3 games and I have bought all of them new, but I have shared a lot of games with friends. Sure, MS could come up with an idea to sell or trade games with a partnership with Gamestop or whatnot.

The problem is if someone wants to share the game with a family member, a friend, a roommate, etc. For me that is the biggest issue.

NewZealander4003d ago

its sad that its come to this.

i should be able to buy or sell what ever i want, sure i think EB games etc suck, they rip people off, but at the end of the day game developers/publishers should not have the right to tell people they cant sell games that they legitimately bought, its really sad that we have come to accept this!

i am still waiting for E3, theres far too many conflicting stories at the moment its like overload trying to decipher this mess!

Darrius Cole4002d ago

The guy that wrote this article is an idiot, either that or he was paid by Microsoft. Microsoft should care very much about the second hand market. The second hand market lowers the entry price of games and brings more money into the gaming industry. Moreover very few people are exclusively new game buyers or exclusively used game buyers. Most of us buy some of each and sell some games back and keep others.

This guy is arguing that Microsoft is going to succeed in taking away gamers rights and that gamers should just accept it. He wants Microsoft to just come out and say that this is what they are going to do. Well Microsoft did say it, and it doesn't look like the gamers are accepting it. I know this gamer is not. As long as they ban or restrict used games, as long as the great eye of Kinect is always watching, as long as their consoles have to check in with the internet every day, I'll never accept it. If they succeed they will do it without my money.

+ Show (4) more repliesLast reply 4002d ago
KillrateOmega4003d ago

Not surprising considering that its MS we're talking about here...

Knightofelemia4003d ago

A company that doesn't care about their bread an butter isn't a good company. There are people out there who do game on a budget. A single mother who scrimped and saved to buy her kid an XboxOne with a used game the kid can't play is nothing more but a paper weight. Mother sells the XboxOne and gets the PS4 with a used game and her kid can play and enjoy with a smile is a great to her. Microsoft lost out on a customer and Sony gained one. Microsoft won't do that. No one knows what the used games will be like on the XboxOne I doubt anything that Microsoft even knows. If anything they might run damage control on the speculations and the rumors and announce what they might do with used games. If anything it would be what we are doing with used games on the current consoles. Play the single player campaign and when I want to play online I buy a product key for that game.

Darrius Cole4002d ago

There is no way in hell that Microsoft doesn't know what the business model for the Xbox One is going to be 4 to 6 months before launch. They know exactly what the used games policy is going to be and they told us. They just meant to hide it because they fear the blow-back from the gaming community if everybody knows the truth. That's why are giving none answers. They don't want to tell us the truth.

The gaming community can define their machine and kill it before it launches. And that looks to be happening, or in the early stages of happening. The hardest of the of the hardcore Xbox fans are jumping ship over this. Judging from the feedback and assuming that both console launch within on month and $50 of each other, the hardcore looks to be ready to buy the PS4 over the Xbone by 8 -2, or maybe even 9 - 1. If that happens it's a wrap. It'll be way down in Wii-U territory.

rainslacker4002d ago

Wii U is seeing a surge in sales. I know it's only been a week, but as a Wii U owner I would like to see it continue.

So long as Sony doesn't come out with the same stupid nonsense as MS, it looks to be a PS4/Wii U next gen for me. Too bad, because I was ready to give MS my money if they managed to impress me with the games, now the games don't even matter. Never in my life did I think I would make that statement.

Moonman4003d ago

WTF are they smoking at Redmond?

004003d ago

money laced with cocaine.

jjb19814003d ago Show
badz1494003d ago

And think it smells good!

Jek_Porkins4003d ago

I'm confused, I thought it came out the other day that you could share games and buy used games? Even their official statement said they designed Xbox One with that in mind....

kwandar4003d ago

Watch Angry Joe's rant and you'll begin to see what is going on.

http://www.youtube.com/watc...

UNGR4003d ago

An angry tired man crying about things we don't have all the details about? The reveal might have been bad but for the love of god give them some time. Who know's, maybe they'll pull the good guy card and ditch all of the customer unfriendly crap. Some people really lover to jump the gun, especially the fanboys on the internet. The reveal wasn't everything, you should wait for the rest of the details or you're just being ignorant.

cyguration4003d ago (Edited 4003d ago )

I don't know why people keep repeating this like it's not true, because yes...you can SHARE AND BUY USED GAMES.

What they keep skipping over is the license fees. When you buy a used game you still have to pay a license fee to actually play the game, otherwise you got a disc that's just good for a coaster.

"The bits that are on that disc, you can give it to your friend and they can install it on an Xbox One," he said.

http://kotaku.com/you-will-...

"They would then have to purchase the right to play that game through Xbox Live."

"They would be paying the same price we paid, or less?" we asked.

"Let’s assume it’s a new game, so the answer is yes, it will be the same price," Harrison said.

EDIT: I'm just posting this info here and I, in no way, support the death of used games. But a lot of people seem to be buying into MS's PR spin posts as they try to find a way to convince people that there are no used fees for sharing. Yes you can share, and yes there are fees for sharing. It's a lose-lose for gamers.

SexyGamerDude4003d ago (Edited 4003d ago )

Unless you go over your friend's house and sign into your account on his Xbox, your friend will have to pay a fee. There is no sharing. MS has said this.

He can't go home and try to play it on his account.

Jek_Porkins4003d ago

You've got old information my friend.
http://www.theverge.com/201...

" Xbox One games will phone home to Microsoft servers on a regular basis to verify that their users own the games. If you buy a used title, however, Polygon claims that you won't have to pay Microsoft for a fresh license to the game.

Simply popping in the game disc and installing it will reportedly establish lawful ownership as far as Microsoft's servers are concerned. When you install the game on your Xbox One, you'll be deauthenticating it on the previous owner's account, according to Polygon"

SexyGamerDude4003d ago

Jek, this is from your article.

"Does the Xbox One actually require an internet connection? Will used game buyers or sellers have to pay an extra fee? Microsoft hasn't made it clear, but a report at Polygon now claims that the answers are "yes" and "no" respectively."

This article is just more speculation. I watched someone who works at MS say that I would have to sign into my friends Xbox for him to play the game. I'll take his word for it.

ShwankyShpanky4002d ago

@Jek:

"You've got old information my friend.
http://www.theverge.com/201... "

How many different ways to people need to debunk that article before you stop reposting it? It's not even the actual source article from Polygon.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 4002d ago
cyguration4003d ago

"Simply popping in the game disc and installing it will reportedly establish lawful ownership as far as Microsoft's servers are concerned. When you install the game on your Xbox One, you'll be deauthenticating it on the previous owner's account, according to Polygon"

So then what would be the point of authenticating in the first place if it's just the same as before?

And how would Microsoft know your "friend" from some guy you gave the game to? Or a pawn shop owner? Or a mom & pop outlet that has used games? Or the Salvation Army? That doesn't make any sense how Microsoft will be able to tell "friends" from everyone else.

Jek_Porkins4003d ago

It wouldn't be just for friends obviously, it'd be used for rental services and things like that. Once I have it installed and activated, if I lend it to my brother or whoever else, when they activate it in their console, it deactivates it in mine.

So if I rent a game from Gamefly and activate it, it will deactivate it from who had it last ect... It really isn't THAT hard to grasp in my opinion.

rainslacker4002d ago

If this is true, then it's just to make sure that only one active instance of the install is valid at a time. That in itself isn't a bad thing, and not unlike it is now with discs. It could be achieved by having to insert a valid game disc from time to time, but among friends it means just swapping discs when need be. Internet authentication prevents that.

It still doesn't solve the issue of what happens when MS takes down the authentication servers one day. So 20 years from now retro X1 gaming may not be possible, unless MS issues a firmware update to remove the DRM.

Show all comments (96)
100°

More Job Losses At Xbox, “There’s More To Come”: Paul Thurrott

Paul Thurrott in a recent episode commented on the on-going Microsoft fiasco hinting at more job losses and that "there's more to come".

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spieltimes.com
Sonic188158m ago(Edited 53m ago)

There won't be no more acquiring game publishers from Microsoft in the future . Xbox has to pay Microsoft back. It might take two decades to do that.

jwillj2k441m ago

There really needs to be a class action lawsuit here. You buy these companies just to put people out of jobs. And it’s not like something happened to derail their plans this WAS the plan. Microsoft has no business in this space at all.

franwex4m ago(Edited 2m ago)

Microsoft has been doing this for years. They simply want the IPs. Look at Nokia. Look at Skype. This time it simply expanded to games. Gaming is not as important to Microsoft’s executives as it was to the founders too. Bill Gates was willing to sell the og Xbox at a loss. Steve Balmer approved the red ring of death fiasco. This CEO isn’t really a gamer.

90°

Microsoft Opening Xbox Mobile Game Store in July

The Xbox brand is expanding, as an Xbox mobile game store is opening this coming July where Microsoft will brings its "first-party portfolio."

Jin_Sakai1d 14h ago (Edited 1d 14h ago )

“Bond adds that they will start on the web”

This will go nowhere.

Nice knowing you Xbox. This is what happens when the house never gets cleaned.

MrDead1d 13h ago

The only this MS is expanding is the amount of feculence it sprays on everyone who just want to enjoy gaming and make games.

The best thing MS can do for the gaming industry is leave and never return.

XiNatsuDragnel1d 12h ago

Good luck with this even it might not succeed.

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210°

Microsoft once tried to nab LittleBigPlanet from Sony after a few drinks

It turns out that many moons ago, Microsoft once had its eye on the Sony published LittleBigPlanet series.

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eurogamer.net
XiNatsuDragnel2d ago

Microsoft had a good idea but fumbled it again.

Cacabunga1d 1h ago (Edited 1d 1h ago )

Project Spark idea was decent but they quickly gave up ..
LBP was wonderful

ApocalypseShadow1d 20h ago

Microsoft in a nutshell. Always tried to poach Sony employees, games, 3rd party games and devices like the depth camera that was turned into Kinect but was running on PS2 before Xbox 360. Wouldn't be surprised they wanted LBP. Just like they worked behind the scenes pushing the MLB to bring Sony's baseball game to Xbox instead of making their own.
https://www.playstationlife...

They didn't spend years trying to develop their own baseball game. They wanted Sony's game.

They're scum.

Zachmo1821d ago

Microsoft didn't force MLB on Xbox. MLB gave Sony 2 options either go multiplat or risk losing the license.

Rynxie14h ago

And why do you think MLB said that? I believe Ms approached MLB.

ApocalypseShadow14h ago(Edited 14h ago)

Totally ridiculous comment.

The only exclusivity Sony had was to their own creation of The Show. Microsoft could have paid the MLB for the license just like Sony did and made their own baseball game.

Microsoft instead, groomed MLB for years in trying to poach Sony's game and bring it to Xbox. They're worth 3 TRILLION dollars. You think that's not enough money to make their own baseball game? Don't be delusional.

Microsoft spun it like they always do and told the media that they had to trust Sony with their hardware. After they put Sony in that position of not having a choice. Either go multiplatform or stop making one of their successful games. That's a no win scenario.

And what did Microsoft do? They didn't try to sell the game to the Xbox community. They put it on game pass to hurt Sony. Pushing the idea of why buy games that are $70 when you can play them in their cheap service for $10. It was a dirty tactic.

You fell for the Kool aid drink Microsoft served you instead of spitting it out. Hope it tasted good because you were fooled by Phil and the gang.

9h ago
Hereandthere5h ago

Xbox executive Sara Bond has told Axios that Microsoft spent a number of years trying to get MLB The Show onto Xbox consoles. And when it finally succeeded in breaking off PlayStation’s long-held exclusivity, the company had to “trust” Sony with pre-release Xbox Series X/S consoles.

Bond revealed that MLB The Show “always came up” in conversations between Microsoft and the Major League Baseball organization. “We always said, ‘We love this game. It would be a huge opportunity to bring it to Xbox.'” she recalled. However, when Microsoft’s efforts materialized, it put the company in an awkward situation where it had to send in pre-release consoles to a rival company.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 5h ago
Notellin11h ago

"Microsoft instead, groomed MLB for years in trying to poach Sony's game and bring it to Xbox."

Take a nap, conspiracies are rotting your brain.

9h ago
Hereandthere5h ago

Xbox executive Sara Bond has told Axios that Microsoft spent a number of years trying to get MLB The Show onto Xbox consoles. And when it finally succeeded in breaking off PlayStation’s long-held exclusivity, the company had to “trust” Sony with pre-release Xbox Series X/S consoles.

Hereandthere5h ago

They were too cheap/inept/lazy to develop their own mlb game, so they port begged for years and bribed the mlb to make the show multiplatform. Like i said many times, xbox brought nothing to the table their 24 years, ZERO.

OtterX1d 3h ago

"However, Healey said Media Molecule wouldn't have felt right doing that, adding it would have been "morally corrupt"."

Major kudos to Media Molecule for being an upright studio with principles.

RNTody1d 3h ago (Edited 1d 3h ago )

Great, more stories like this please. Show the last of the zombies holding the line what we've been saying for years: Microsoft is anti competition, anti industry and has no interest in making games at all.

But hey, at least there's an Xbox Games Showcase to look forward to, right?

Inverno1d 2h ago

Well considering SONY just killed the series, LBP would've been dead by now either way. Though MM probably wouldn't exist by now either, so I'm glad they stayed with SONY, hopefully they don't get shut down any time soon or ever honestly.

Inverno1d ago

They shut down the servers, that's millions of user created levels gone. That and dead are pretty much the same, it's also been years since 3 and they cancelled HUB soooo.

9h ago
fsfsxii11h ago

They shutdown the servers because no one was playing, no one in the community cared about the user created levels so why keep them up? Wtf you guys would never succeed in running a business.

Inverno9h ago

Yea dood no one was playing so they shut off the servers. Cause people with enough common sense can't just Google why they were actually shut of, right?

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